Pampered pets: Will garden foxes give my dogs mange?

OUR vet David Grant works his animal magic.

Mange, a form of scabies caused my tiny mites can be fatal to foxes [STONE/GETTY]

Q I Have foxes at the bottom of my garden and have heard that they can transmit a form of mange (scabies) to pet dogs. I would like to know what symptoms to look out for in case my two dogs contract the disease.

A Sarcoptic mange (also called scabies) is very common in foxes and can be fatal to them. The cause is a very small mite that is barely visible to the naked eye.

In both dogs and foxes the main sign is itching that gets progressively worse.

The incessant scratching leads to hair loss and in severe cases animals can become bald.

In dogs early signs include scratching around the ears and face that spreads to other parts of the body such as the elbows, chest and eventually everywhere else

David Grant

Foxes in good health have abundant coats and therefore any patchy hair loss or constant scratching would suggest they are suffering from fox mange.

In dogs early signs include scratching around the ears and face that spreads to other parts of the body such as the elbows, chest and eventually everywhere else.

Sarcoptic mange is diagnosed by performing skin scrapings and searching for the mite under a microscope or by response to treatment. Depending on the severity the latter can take a few months.

There are some excellent products available from your vet that treat and prevent parasite infestations including mange mites.

David Grant MBE was a vet at the RSPCA Harmsworth Hospital for Animals. Write to him at Express Yourself, 10 Lower Thames Street, London EC3R 6EN. He is unable to enter into individual correspondence.